Shifting an Empire: Secrets
by JohnnyG33
Summary: AU Arcanepunk with some Steampunk flavor: Detective Kim Possible and Shifter-in-training Ron Stoppable are loyal citizens to the Empire of Laridea, where everyone has a secret to hide, and most are best left hidden. *Now revised and condensed!*
1. Chapter 1

**This is a complete AU Kim Possible story that takes place in an Arcanepunk world with Steampunk elements here and there.**

**The look and feel of the era will be one of the late 1940s, even though the exact date is 1954. Science and magic will exist together.**

**This is currently a one-shot, but I may add more.**

**If you want, Rate and Review. Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**Thank you for giving this story a chance, and I hope you enjoy the read!**

***I do not own Kim Possible or any of the characters.***

**All the concepts of this story however are of my creation. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: As stated in the summeray, this story has been revised and condensed into four chapters, seeing as the whole length was way to long for a one-shot and seemed rather intimidating to readers. Even better news, I am currently finishing up the details in the main story of this AU, which will be posted once I have the time. Thank you for all of those who commented and read the story.**

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Case file # 16

Cerria Hytpoh.

Age: Twenty-five. Hair: Blonde. Eyes: Green. Height: 5'9.

"Victim was last seen in Tranopolis, second street on Saturday, March 15th, 1954 leaving Jimmie's Bar at 2:34 AM. Victim did not show up for work…"

Detective Kim Possible let out a frustrated groan as she leaned back on her chair. How could these disappearances be going on for two months without the department finding anything?

To make it worse, she had nothing. She was as clueless as any of the other staff.

And now, just last night, another victim disappeared.

This time, a young, single bartender who has had no contact with her family in thirteen years. Kim put her right hand in the pocket of her gray cloth pants and pulled out a little notebook. She flipped it open to a page she marked "Victims."

She scribbled down the name, age, and sex of victim number 16…..Cerria. She had a name, and Kim would not let her become another number. She did not let any of them become a number. Looking at the other names listed in her folder, she reflected on their differences, and lack of comparisons.

They had nothing in common. Age, sex, occupation, income, living style, religion, education, family...nothing.

The only similarity they all shared was also similar to Kim. She, like them, were non-Shifters.

Unlike her best friend Ron, who, speaking of-

Kim pressed her hand over the stack of files accumulated on her desk. Her silver desk clock ticked just to 1:15 PM. It was time to meet Ron for lunch, and give her aching mind a break.

Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes and sat herself up from her chair, keeping the case files and her work mentally at bay. She'd be back of course.

She grabbed her tan coat and swooped it on, leaving the stylish coat unbuttoned as it fluttered at the back of her legs with every step, still revealing her yellow, button-up, silk shirt, making some of the younger heads in the department turn and follow her as with their eyes.

Creeps.

Kim noticed how they were all staring at her, especially Josh Mankey.

That creepy son of a bitch. She fought with great restraint to not turn and punch him square in the face every time she walked past his desk, for fear of being kicked out of the department.

That, and the fact he could easily throw her across the street with his Mana punch. She loathed the status he put on himself just because he was a Shifter. So what if he could manipulate the Mana in himself and thus proceed to form a purple fist; she was trained in sixteen forms of martial arts.

And she had the slap that would make any grown man cry. He had felt it once. And only once. Never again would he be part of her life.

Fresh air and the sound of the bustling city brought her relief as she walked out of the department office. A cool spring breeze rattled her coat and fluttered her loose, red hair, blowing her stress away.

The city during this time was buzzing with activity. People walking from or to work to grab a quick bite to eat, vehicles driving and stopping as people walked across the road to their destination. Rush hour was still in full swing.

Tucking her hands in her coat pockets, Kim walked down the street, her eyes occasionally observing clothing and various other items that lined the glass windows of shops and businesses she passed.

"Extra! Extra! Confed's fall back to the capital! Read all about it!" The loud, inviting, (and slightly annoying) choirs of calls came at the upcoming street corner as two young boys advertised today's paper and the news of the war.

Kim focused instead on the vender to her left as she waited for the traffic to stop. Fresh pastries lined the stand as a small, loveable plump woman slowly shifted her wrists back and forth, molding pie dough into the crust. Freshely baked pies lined a table to behind the woman's work station, right under the open window of the shop.

Kim's interest soon vanished, as a formally clad soldier walked up to the stand, wrists locked behind his back as he watched the elder Shifter bake a new apple pie.

No matter where she went, she couldn't escape from it. She remembered exactly where she was when the war broke out with the Confederation of Cleema (Cl- ē-ma), Laridea's ancient northern neighbor and as of four years ago their hated enemy. (La-r- ē -de-a)

*Ding!* The small floating sphere shaped Mana crystal flashed light blue as the traffic stopped, and Kim along with the other patient cross walkers began trudging across the street.

Kim and Ron were both sitting in their high school class when word of the bombing reached public ears. 1,500 people in the northern border city perished in two minutes. What were she and Ron doing? Waiting impatiently for the school day to be over. How selfish was that?

Even worse, coming home to find her father, sitting in the family room couch, slumped over with his hands buried in his face, shoulders shaking uncontrollably as his heartbroken sobs echoed throughout the house like funeral chants. Kim knew what had happened before she read the letter, before she even spoke to her father.

No, before she did anything, she kept her mother's promise.

"_Take care of your father while I'm away, okay? He can get into a lot of trouble without me watching his every move."_

"_Mommm!"_

_Silence._

"_Remember what I told you?"_

_Kim had rolled her sharp green eyes. "Please and thank you and treat all life as you wish to be treated."_

"_That's my girl."_

Kim kept that promise. She did not hate the people of Cleema. But she never forgot what her mother gave her life up for, helping those in need.

Now, Kim was doing just that, helping those in need with her talents. From that tragic day forward, she was always there for her brothers and they were grateful. Her father, she tried to cheer him up and he tried desperately to return to his old, happy-go-lucky self, but he was never the same. He would spend most of his days at his work, the Technological Advancement Center of Laridea.

She was relieved during her senior year of high school, when evertyhing finally began to turn around for the better. He was more active with the family, and even gave her and the tweebs state of the art technology. She squeezed the leather in her right coat pocket, her palm brushing up against the smoothened Mana glyph that made up the palm of her Pulse Glove.

The Pulse Glove was what truly made her capable of making a name for herself, helping those in need throughout the Empire. With it, she could manipulate the Mana around herself to a slight degree, protecting herself from rogue and criminal Shifters as well as going on the offensive. The key, as she was told was the Mana glyph; a small grey stone infused with Crystal Mana, natrual accuring Mana allowing Kim to reach out for it.

In non-geek talk, it let her Shift Mana, although it was nowhere near as powerful or as strong as that of a true Shifter, but it was better than nothing.

"Hey KP!" A familiar voice rang out from a café to Kim's left, making a smile form across her face as she turned.

But having a Shifter working with you, well.

"Hey Ron." She prefered those odds.

Kim walked up and embraced her long time best friend in a hug. As she parted to take her coat off, Ron stuck his hand out to the chair at his table and gestured it out, making the chair slowly skid against the pavement. Kim rolled her eyes at his P.D.A (public display of affection) but couldn't help but smile at his kindness.

Ron wore the garbs of a Shifter in training, a long sleeve tunic that buttoned up at the front, and was tucked into his dress-like pants that were made of some of the finest material in the world. The striking colors were of course, his choosing: jet red tunic with black buttons, and white running from his shoulder and down his arms. His legs were covered in black, and his shoes, or as Kim teased him often as she could, slippers, were red and black. He reminded her of an oriental guru sometimes in his outfit.

"Thanks Ron," she said as rested her coat on the back of the chair and sat down. Ron sat himself down across from her and gracefully lifted his hand up and out, sending her menu drifting softly through the air in front of her, and open to the salad, which she always bought from this café.

"I appreciate the gestures, but the menu and…" she paused as Ron turned his hand over and cupped his fingers upward, sending his Familiar, a pink Naked Mole Rat, hovering into the air and spinning, making him and Rufus giggle like little five year olds. "…..that, is kinda freaky," she said, losing her train of thought and instantly regretting letting those words slip.

Ron however, took no notice as he carefully set Rufus down on the table and gave him a high five with his index finger. "It's not freaky Kim; it's Shifting!" he and she both exclaimed. Kim less enthusiastically rolled her eyes as she intervened before Ron went on his little trip down memory lane.

"The ability to manipulate and shift Mana that holds the world and all living things together in your own image and will. I know," she said dryly with a sly grin as she recited the textbook definition of a Shifter.

She was beyond happy when she heard Ron was deemed gifted by birth, and was even happier when he was invited to take the Empire's Shifter exam. If he passed, he'd be able to avoid the three years of service in the army his training cost him. If not…

_Well, let's not worry about that just yet._ She had some catching up to do with Ron on the case.

While they ordered their lunches and waited for them, Kim explained the sixteenth disappearance and how she still was at a loss on where to go. Ron was more or less her partner, though he never appeared on any of the official reports due to the fact he wasn't on the department's payroll. Neither was she but she was on the roster.

"I've tried everything, even taking a full day to re-exam every crime scene. You know how big this city is?" she prompted in a small whine. Ron, who was glancing his eyes between her and the café nodded his head.

"Pretty big, I guess, right?" he said as he cupped his hands together on the table and began twirling his thumbs together. Raising an eyebrow at his odd gesture, she nodded her head.

"Yeah, pretty big bout sums it up." She rested her right elbow on the back of the chair as she followed Ron's stare. She expected to see some snobby noble's daughter batting her eyes woefully at her friend, but instead stiffened out a giggle as she saw Ron's guardian.

Steve Barkin was sitting in a chair a few tables away, paper in hand, right foot silently tapping the ground while his left, artificial tan metal coated leg sat ridged, the screws and chains rotating and silently clicking, keeping the nerves and motor muscle functioning.

Ron was an orphan; he never knew his parents. All he remembered was the orphanage he grew up in. Kim remembered the day she first met him in Pre K. Her in her fancy and expensive sundress, while he came in an old shirt and overalls.

"_You want to meet my imaginary friend Rufus?"_

"_You're weird," she giggled. "But I like you."_

During elementary school, he was deemed gifted and the Empire was quick to take notice. It wasn't long till the army veteran Steven Barkin came to school and brought Ron back to the orphanage and adopted him. Afraid Kim would not see him again, she walked him to the awaiting car, but was surprised when he offered to come over.

She was even more shocked to see the house Ron was living in was actually a mansion, who was more than happy and excited to show her around the giant mansion that he was able to finally call home.

"What's Barkin doing here?" she humorously prompted as she turned to face Ron to discover (to her amusement) his face burning red as the giant veteran folded his paper up and began to walk to their table. She couldn't help but admire how well dressed the man looked. His sleek black dress coat fit perfectly to his body, white undershirt matching so well with his black tie. His black formal pants matched his polished shoes even. The mechanical tan ankle was the only indication that he had an artifical leg, though Kim had seen it before.

She smiled and waved to the giant man as he stood at their table, while Ron looked like he was about to ditch and hurl himself over the café fence.

"Possible," he said with a curt nod, then turned his attention to Ron, who somehow managed to sink deeper into his chair. Rufus had crawled back into his pocket. "Ronald," he stated, waiting for a response from the quivering boy.

"Yes," he gulped as he slowly sat up.

"You forgot to make your bed this morning." Kim had to suppress the urge to laugh at the many shades of embarrassment that washed over Ron's face. Ron had been with her while her parents embarrassed her hard core, waaaaayyyy worse than this, so she was being nice. Ron slumped back down in his chair as Rufus's laughter emulated from his pocket.

"So not funny!" he said as he pulled the Naked Mole Rat up from his pocket, his chirping gibberish to everyone.

Except Ron.

Every Shifter had the ability to summon a familiar, and Kim was glad Ron had Rufus as his buddy. The Familiar is a companion for life that reflects the caster's personality, as well as some traits that the caster may lack. For example, Ron cannot, to save his life fix or repair anything, including Barkin's leg. Rufus, hence, was one of the best mechanics Kim has ever seen, even fixing an entire car in two minutes.

Likewise, the Familiar is the physical representation of the Shifter's powers. Ron's was undoubtedly linked to the earth, (The vines he could call up, gust of wind and the ability to dig a six-feet hole in four seconds was evident to this) but also and strangely enough, he was given the rare gift to speak to animals. All he had to do was have his hand touching the animal, and then, chirping or barking became English. Kim still had no idea how something that strange could work, but it did.

"Sure, but you always knock the pillows over!" Ron said as he and Rufus continued their argument. Kim and Steve glanced at each other, clearly and unbelievably lost in this conversation.

"Sweet mother of pearl," Barkin muttered as he stiffened between the two of them, lowering his face to their level, looking both of them in the eye.

"Tell you two what, when you get home at five, we can discuss your punishment before your practice."

"Wait Mr. B, practice? Five? Punishment?!" Ron stuttered as Steve drew himself back, a cool smile on his face.

"Of course Ronald. Your exams are in three days, and I don't plan on letting you slack off now!" He paused as he stiffened up and looked out across the street. "Unless of course, you want the army to own you for three years." Ron opened his mouth, but slowly closed it, clearly not wanting to continue this conversation any more.

"Get on the damn ground!" Kim and Ron turned their head sharply to the left to the sudden and rough outburst.

Across the street on the opposite sidewalk were a group of Laridean soldiers, clad in their red and grey uniforms. They stood aiming their rifles at three individuals who were holding up signs.

_'My son never asked for this war!'_

_'End the war: Bring my family home!'_

_'Cleema + Laridea = Family!' _Underneeth the words was a small picture of two soldiers, one from Laridea and Cleema, shaking hands with their families behind each of the soldiers.

Kim watched the commotion unfold, not knowing what to think as one of the soldiers grabbed onto the troublemakers.

"Stupid." Kim took her eyes off the protesters to see a man in his late twenties, wearing a grey outfit similar to Barkin, a dry smirk on his face as he leaned back in his chair, his smooth hat resting on the left side of his head, like a punk. "You're all frickin stupid!" he shouted, making more heads turn as his wife, or girlfriend, hushed at him.

Stupid?

Yes.

Did that protester deserve the butt of the rifle across his face?

No.

Kim clenched her teeth as she saw the two men grab the battered man up by his arms and hauedl him into the awaiting grey military truck. She was a loyal citizen to the Empire of Laridea. And at times like this, she hated it, hated how people could remain loyal as dogs in situations like this.

The Emperor had plenty of opportunities to end the war in Laridea's favor, but refused to open negations for a peace treaty, let alone a cease-fire. She also understood this reason, or at least tried too. Laridea did not start the war.

They did.

She saw the pictures in the paper the day after the bombing, the iron shield crossed with two swords weld into the side of the Tanks that were rolling through the border.

Before the war, every high school graduate had to serve the Empire for five years. Anything related to government work, whether it be community service, joing the military or training as the emperor's Shifters. It allowed students not only a chance to explore a possible career field, but it gave them valuable experience of the real world, while serving the Empire for the greater good.

Once war broke out, the Emperor indicated changes to the Service Act. Shifters must report ten days after graduation to Army HQ to receive a personal trainer. Whence their training is complete, they owe the military three years, unless they do well on their exams while non-Shifters only served two. The difference was so majorly diverse it hurt Kim's brain to even consider the comparison.

Shifters were automatically enlisted as officers, received extra pay than the two years and vacation time from the front lines. The non-Shifters would be lucky to get an hour of extra sleep.

Kim was not a Shifter and had no desire in fighting a war she felt was prolonged for too long. So, she opted for the five year tradition that was still available for students to take. This too had changed; for if they did not perform worthy enough in their position, they would be thrown in the military. And so far, has managed to keep hold of her position.

Ron on the other hand, did not have that luxury. His exams, if she understood how they worked, were graded percentiles. If Ron received an 85% or higher, he could be accepted into The Heart of Laridea, the castle fortress where the Emperor and the royal family lived.

Shifters admitted here would study under the Emperor, the greatest Shifter in the Empire and master their skills to help people instead of killing them. If Ron failed, he owed three years of his life to the military, which would be spent in the frozen lands of Cleema, where if the enemy did not kill you, the terrain would most certain kill you.

Kim found herself worrying for Ron, trying to feel for him when he would come into the department, fear or exhaustion written on his face. But she had faith in him. She had too. He deserved it. While she had been in a few close shaves while on the department, Ron had managed to come through and help her out, even going as far as to saving her life once. She depended on him as much as he depended on her, and keeping her mother's promise, she'd be there for him.

"Those fools," Barkin simple said as he shook his head. "They speak out against the war, the Emperor and everything he's done for us and everything we've done for him," He paused as he looked down at his mechanical leg. "For each other."

Kim watched the military truck slowly drive away, her mind trying to answer why any one person would do something like that, knowing damn well where they would be headed off too.

Wait! Kim's eyes widened as her mind reached out and caught the drifting thought, taking hold of it and the sense it was making on her case.

The missing victims, there was no trace of them at all, nothing! The last time she had a case like this, which was actually her first, the criminal left no trace of herself anywhere. And with what the criminal did out in the country side, it was all too obvious what she was, for it would be impossible to hide the destruction if the criminal wasn't a Shifter.

"Fine, I'll be home once I help Kim here." Kim heard Ron's downhearted voice as Barkin nodded his head approvingly and walked away, gesturing to Kim politely as he left. Kim watched him leave, and excitedly leaned forward and grabbed onto Ron's arms, getting his attention.

"Idea?" he asked as his face widened into a soft smile. Kim nodded her head excitedly.

"Let's go visit Shego!" In that instant Ron's face turned a shade of white as Rufus let out a disgusted squeak of surprise and shook his head with a look of ill-contempt on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

After enjoying their lunch (which Kim quickly finished and forced Ron to quickly finish too), they began making their way across the city to visit the first criminal they captured.

Kim's first success on the department, and her first brush with Shifters.

And death.

For Shego was a NecroDancer.

From what Kim understood of Shifters, (and with the help of Ron), their powers are attuned at birth. Each Shifter can manipulate Mana in the simplest of ways, like opening or closing doors, moving objects through the air, stuff like that.

What made each Shifter unique were the advanced Mana manipulations that could only be performed once their Familiar is summoned. By doing this, the Mana would be able to flow freely throughout the body but runs wild, free, untamed. Training, mediation and practice help the Shifter tame his or her Mana and allow them more and better control of it, permitting them to pour more out while Shifting, and creating better, more powerful effects.

Shego skipped that part. She went straight to the brute force. It also didn't help that she was trained in the art of Shadow Dancing, the dark ability that allowed you to slip in and out of sight, becoming neither living nor dead. Kim did not understand this whole not living, not dead aspect, but it was more or less like teleporting.

And it was one of the 'taboos' to the Shifters, as heinous of a crime to them as rape was to the rest of society. Shego had committed many of those 'taboos' while she was loose.

Like hearts, minds and souls, Mana could be corrupted and Shego's was no exception. Ron had told her frightening and disturbing tales of people who gave into power, preformed despicable acts and succumbed to the ancient and still largely unknown evils that walked the land.

Shego had discovered one of those evils, a love for theft by any means necessary (including murder) and a dark, ancient tomb in the southern swamps. She emerged evil, twisted and far from sane. Horrors of mass murders, villages being burned to the ground the night before began running throughout the country and stories of the dead raising from the grave all surrounded her like a poisonous fog.

They met while Kim and Ron were on vacation with her dad and brothers down south, and encountered her raising the dead in a local in all honesty, Kim had no intention of messing with her, but fate had other ideas. She was warned about the case and told to keep an eye open for anything suspicious. She vowed too, but did not expect to come face to face with her. They met while Kim and Ron were on vacation with her dad and brothers down south, and encountered her raising the dead in a local cemetery.

What followed suit was a grotesque, horrifying and adrenaline rushing battle that, without her Pulse Glove, would have been the end of Kim. The zombies, or walking corpuses, did not bother her. Ron managed to tie them down with the roots of the trees as well as pelting them with rocks.

Shego was the true threat all on her own.

"I can't believe you want to spend the day, here," Ron said as he looked up the black, foreboding building that was the city's prison for Shifters. The three-story building had no windows, not a single one. The stone was sleek black, absorbing the sunlight, and casting an ominous shadow across the city, silently warning all Shifters to stay in line, less they wish to face the horrors inside.

Kim ignored him as she walked to the door, holding it open for Ron who wearily took it. "It's the only lead I've got," she stated as they walked up to the secretary.

Her desk sat ominously in the middle of a brown, dimly lit room. To her left and right were Mana crystals floating in the air, basketball shaped spheres that glowed a mystical purple. Around those spheres were golden pylons, a dim blue glow emulating in the space between the pylon edge and sphere, keeping the Mana crystals aflot. A dime purple wall floated in-between those two crystals, forming a barrier that protected her from any harm; even the most powerful of Shifting effects. Behind her where three other doors, also covered in this same barrier that lead deeper into the prison complex.

The Shifter barriers, or "Mana Shields" as their formally called are a manifestation of Mana that is all formed and bunched together, forming a thick barrier between the user that can protect them from certain attacks, depending on the amount of Mana one was able to Shift to the shield.

"Can I help you?" The old secretary asked without looking away from her typewriter. Kim fished her badge out from her coat pocket and gestured to Ron with her thumb.

"He's with me. I'd like to speak with Shego." The secretary raised an eyebrow, not moving to make eye contact as she rang her typewriter back with a bird-like click.

"I see," she simply said as she continued to type. Kim glanced at Ron, who only shrugged. Rufus was on his shoulder and chirped a little bit into his ear.

"I know buddy, this place creeps me out too," he said to his friend as the door to their left opened up, revealing a golden figure.

A slightly oval shaped head, with eyeholes to simulate the eyes, and a thin, unmoving mouth stared at them. It's body was thin and gauntly; the only large portion was it's chest and pelvis, which creaked and squeaked as the chains, gadgets and screws all twisted and turned, allowed the robotic figure to gesture to Kim and Ron.

"Welcome to Blackwater Prison. Please follow me." A mystic, female trancelike voice elicited from the robotic figure as Kim and Ron walked through the door and down the dimly lit hallway. It was big enough to have traffic go to and from, but that was it.

It had taken years of scientific ingenuity, years of research and experimentation with Mana and science to get this far in robotics, a field that is shrouded in about as much mystery as Mana itself. The first robot was created by her father's lab; he was credited with the design and everything. While it had a life span of five minutes before it had to be recharge with Mana, it was a success that rocked the known world.

Now, twenty-five years later, the robots had a life span of four hours before recharge, which now consisted of cheap, easily replicated batteries mixed with fuel and Mana to ensure 100% efficiency.

"Why do they call this place 'Blackwater'"? Ron asked as they approached another purple tinted door, this one with bars on the top allowing but a small glimpse of the giant room behind.

The robot stood its cold, stiff hands out to the door and softly pressed its finger against the door. A swift, mystic swoosh rang throughout as the purple tint dissipated, and the door slowly opened. Kim could hear the sound of running water from inside the room, as well as some maniacal laughter and moans.

"The Blackwater is the source and heart of Blackwater," The robot said as it calmly walked through the door. Kim followed but stopped when she heard Ron groan. She looked back to see him leaning against the wall with a small bead of sweat forming on his forehead, an ill look stitched onto his once healthy face.

"Ron?" Kim asked, slightly worried as she looked back for the robot and then to her friend. He was panting and slowly backing away from the door that the robot just opened.

"I...can't...go in there," he panted as if he just got done running a marathon. Rufus too looked troubled. He was sticking out of Ron's pocket and his pink tone was beginning to mix with a shade of green.

Kim felt somewhat relieved to know that the source was coming from that room (probably the water itself) but couldn't help but keep her concerned expression on Ron as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Clanking footsteps made him look up past Kim, electing her to follow suit back to the door. Walking back towards them was another robot (or the same one. They all looked and sounded the same.) It was holding a small, golden ring with a red crystal on the top.

"Shifters are not permitted into the prison hold unless properly protected," the unemotional, mystic voice said as it stretched its hand out to Ron who eagerly took it and slipped on to his finger. Almost immediately, Kim saw a huge difference in Ron as he and Rufus both let out sighs of relief, the tension leaving their body and the atmosphere around them.

Walking through the door, Kim found herself standing out on a balcony. Kim gasped in surprise at the sight she saw, It was both amazing and terrifying.

Before her stood a vast, dark room that was dimly lit with torches and crystals from the ceiling. Spanning out across the magnificent room were other balconies, leading to the various prison cells which were identified only by dimly shaded pink doors. The balconies which lead to these doors rose up to five different levels, with a stair spire in the middle of the room allowing individuals to quickly reach the desired height.

As they descended the staircase, Kim saw the source of the water. Directly underneath the balcony was a river. Small and calm moving, but loud enough for its echo to ring around the large prison complex. Discovering the water was black as the night sky though, Kim scrunched her face up in disgust. This must be what was effecting Ron. However it turned that color, she had no idea (and decided to leave that mystery unsolved).

They walked down to the floor level and up the spiral staircase all the while the moans, laughs, shrieks and pleas pounded their heads. The prisoner's mixed voices made them all, especially Ron, edgy. Kim had heard about this place but had never been to it before, and now she understood why these prisoners did not require the attention of any human guards.

"Blackwater is the world's most secure prison. Blackwater keeps the Mana from entering and flowing." Kim nodded her head in grim understanding to the now freakishly mind reading robot as they approached a pink tinted door.

Instead of approaching the door, the robot touched the black stone to the right of the door. Ron awed as the wall vanished, revealing a small room with a single table in the middle accompanied. The robot turned aside and gestured them to enter.

The room was dark, allowing them full view of what they saw in the adjacent cell. Through the glass, (which could be seen through both ends once the room was in use) was Shego. Kim could recognize that black hair and those piercing green eyes anywhere.

Shego sat on her bed, the only thing in the room besides a toilet. She was hunched over, her hair hiding her face like gothic drapes; her sleek green and black outfit was replaced by a gauntly black prison shirt and pants that had five letters embroidered on the pocket.

"Prisoner .6. You have visitors," the robot called from outside the room. Shego stiffened, making Ron gulp as she slowly looked up in their direction, her venomous, dark green eyes staring holes through Kim, her nemesis.

"Hey there Princess," she slyly said as she sat upright, revealing the black circular tattoo with jagged edges that encircled her right eye. The mark of a NercoDancer, according to the ancient texts that is.

"Shego." Kim acknowledged her coolly as she approached the edge of the window with her arms crossed. "Diggin' the new outfit?"

Shego let out a dark chuckle, eyes narrowing at Kim with an undying hatred for the young redhead. "Black has always been my color; I think I'll manage." Her eyes narrowed even thinner as she folded her arms across her chest and swung her right leg over her left leg. "What are you and prince charming doing here?" she demanded in an icy voice.

"I like that," Ron muttered to himself, earning him an elbow from Kim.

"Focus!" she hissed as she pulled out her notebook, earning her rolled eyes from Shego.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it. Trust me," she said holding up her hands, exposing two jet-black pentagram tattoos with arcane symbols stitched within them. "You'd know."

For a split second, the images of Shego's powers flickered into Kim's mind, but she quickly drew them out. She had a hunch, and was gonna follow up on it. "You managed to change your surroundings, the villages you've destroyed, to look as if they were perfectly normal, correct?" Kim prompted with her first question.

"Yup," Shego answered as she recalled her fond memories of freedom and carnage. "Worked wonders on the authorities. Even those idiot Shifters couldn't figure it out."

"Until you got careless," Kim quickly stated with a smirk on her face. Shego frowned and shook her head.

""Uh hu, yeah, no! You have any idea how easy it was to cut through those people, to turn them into my own personal puppets?"

"So not called for," Kim replied in antipathy. Rufus chirped in an angry squeak.

"Pfff, whatever. Just hurry up and ask the next question."

"How can one distinguish the difference between reality and altered locations?" Kim asked, pen and paper ready as she waited for Shego's response.

"You know Kimmy, you could just ask your Shifting boyfriend to tell ya himself," Shego said, making Kim growl in annoyance. Ron was not her boyfriend. How could he be? He was so…Ronish.

"Umm actually, Shifter in training," Ron corrected her.

"Ugh fine!" Shego snapped as she stood up, stretching herself. "This will make more sense to you than Princess here anyway."

"Taking the Mana from the surroundings is what we do every day. It's all around us. You see, Mana is life, it is energy, matter, cosmic power, whatever you wanna call it, but it's everywhere. Well, expect here. Anyways, taking a large portion of the surrounding area, you can morph and mimic it the way it looked originally. Let's say you want to give someone a poisoned mattress," she explained patting her hand on the dusty mattress that was her _'bed.'_

"Before you apply the poison, you shift the Mana in yourself and that of the mattress, instilling the imagine in your mind. The key is to not forget what it is you want to copy. The more you remember, the more detailed it will be and thus more buyable. Apply the poison and Shift your image into the now poisoned and tampered mattress and wala!" Shego said with a sense of pride.

"Normal looking bed that is really an old, smelly and poisoned death trap!"

As disturbing as that was, it was just what Kim needed to hear. She scribbled down what Shego had told her, and underneath wrote in and underlined her first lead she had to go by.

Morphed crime senses!

"That is so sick and wrong," Ron muttered. Almost immediately after he perked up, eyes shining with an idea. "So you're saying, I could make my room look like it is clean, when it isn't at all?" Ron shouted as the badical thought ran though his mind. Shego raise an eyebrow as she opened her mouth, but quickly closed it.

"Umm yeah sure, if that floats your boat then have at it, sport." Shego waved her hand as she sat back down. Kim smiled to herself as she eyed her first lead. Getting the Shifters to comb each of the crime sense would be a little time consuming, but it was better than nothing, and the chief would be more than happy to lend her all the support she needed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks Shego," she said as she put her notepad in her left coat pocket, grabbed onto Ron's arm and dragged him to the exit.

"Come on Mana boy," she teased as they exited the room, leaving Shego to resume her brooding position on her bed as the Blackwater jerked and tore the Mana from her.

One strand at a time.

* * *

"Oh man!" Ron gasped as they exited the prison. He leaped down the stairs and nearly ran over a couple of bystanders getting some angry remarks, which he blissfully ignored. "I never thought I'd miss sunshine so much in such a short time!"

Kim did not hear him. She was too busy mulling over what she had just found out.

This was perfect!

Criminal, but perfect! She had a lead! She could hardly contain the smile that stretched over her face as she read and re-read what she wrote down in the prison, savoring her underlined lead she wrote on the bottom of her notepad.

"Kim. KP!" Ron said as he waved his hand in front of her face, causing her to look up.

*DONG!* *DONG!*

Kim and Ron both glanced up to the sky, seeing the city's round clock tower striking 4 PM. The sun was just beginning its descent over the horizon, still hanging over their heads.

"We spent that long in there?" Ron asked, his face then lighting up as he remembered his obligations, which resulted in a groan. "Barkin's going to drill me into the ground, again. KP!" he prompted for support.

She smiled as she turned to face her friend as a breeze caught her in the face, blowing her hair back as well as the outline of her coat. Pulling the hair out of her face, she saw Ron staring at her, mouth slightly agape.

Confused? She looked behind her to see what he was staring at. Nothing. She looked back to find Rufus had scampered up on his left shoulder and was whispering profusely in his ear, snapping Ron out of his…_Ron_ trance.

"Ummm, Rufus says you look good. You know, as in good as a friend, like good good but not that good," he quickly stuttered out. Kim, not knowing what to really think, just chuckled as she patted Rufus's head.

"Thank you little mole rat," she cooed, then turned to give Ron an hug. "Don't worry about it. Barkin just wants you to succeed and pass. Like I do," she said as she parted with a warm smile. Ron chuckled and nervously rubbed the back of his head. He then slowly straightened up and smiled to Kim, putting his hands in his pockets too.

"Thanks Kim. I can always count on you."

Kim waved her hand at him. "No big. I've got your back," she said as she turned to begin the trek to the high school to pick up her brothers. "See you tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder.

She did not hear it, but Ron let out a downhearted sigh as he watched Kim go. Before he could go in another of one of his trances, Rufus delivered a swift kick to the side of his head.

"Me! I wasn't the one thinking that!" Rufus squeaked in annoyance as he turned Ron's head to face him. "You got to tell her sometime!" he squeaked softly, feeling sorry about kicking his master and friend, but nonetheless frustrated.

Ron just shook his head.

"It's Kim were talking about here, Rufus," he stated as he turned and began walking the opposite direction. "She's smart, beautiful, funny, just everything and more than perfect. Too perfect for an orphan who can't Shift to save his life," he mopped. Rufus rested a paw on Ron's head reassuringly.

"Not true. You've done it before, and you'll only get better," he squeaked.

Rufus looked back down the street, watching the pretty redhead turn the corner while Ron had stopped at the edge of another crosswalk as the cars and vehicles drove by, the black paint reflecting the sunlight. "What you said before, about Kim," Ron turned and eyed Rufus as he kept talking, "why couldn't you tell that to her face?"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but slowly closed it, shaking his head. Rufus let out a downhearted moan as he leaned on Ron's head, being there for his crush-obsessed friend as they walked home.


	3. Chapter 3

Kim found renewed energy in her walk as the high school came into view. Jim and Tim were both fourteen years old, but they had skipped 7th and 8th grade and had advanced into sophomores. They were defiantly Possibles and had their father's brains and intellect.

Normally, she'd remain at the department for a couple more hours and head home. With these disappearances however, her father had asked (well, rather demanded) that she watch them and walk them home from school until the criminal was caught and the disappearances stopped. As much as she loved them and was willing to help her brothers, she wondered how her parents created such…little devils.

They were geniuses and that was where Kim believed the family resemblance and ties ended. They were beyond immature, so much that Kim wondered if they would ever mature into the "saints" her father and mother had thought they were.

Mom…

Jim and Tim were devastated when they heard about mom. It took her a full day to calm them down enough to make them leave their room to eat. A full week to get them out of the house. And a full month to go back to school. After that, they remained the same stellar and annoying tweebs she knew and loved.

As if that whole process were any easier on her. She had to keep herself under control while hushing and talking to a sobbing Jim and Tim. Her mother's death shattered her world, but she had to keep her mother's promise.

Thought, once she had managed to have alone time, or when her dad and brothers fell asleep, is when she would pour her emotions out on her pillow. The loss was bad enough, but watching her brothers and father suffer, that was another low.

Making it easier for her though, was Ron. He had always been there for her, going as far as to spending the night with her in case she woke up crying. Granted that only lasted up till the summer of her going into Sophomore year, but she still nonetheless missed her mother to no end.

Walking up to the high school, she scanned the crowd of kids waiting for their parents to pick them up or boarding the busses. Jim and Tim usually waited for her near the entrance of the school by the sidewalk, sitting against the rock and engraved sigh that sat next to the entrance brick and wooden entrance.

Today, they were nowhere to be seen.

_Oh great. They walked home without me._

Kim let out a frustrated grunt as she began walking home. Jim and Tim were so busted! She and her father had told them multiple times to stay and wait for her before they left. And this time, she wasn't even late!

Kim was grateful that the school wasn't that far from her home, only about a mile away and in the suburb setting of the Capital. Their house was a caramel brown two-story and had a lush setting of trees in the back, hiding the small lake that the neighborhood kids used to cool off during hot summer days.

It wasn't like the estate that Ron lived in with Barkin, but it was good enough. Homey enough for her.

Relief came over her as her home came into view since her legs were starting to throb. She did nearly walk a third of that massive city today. She decided she'd scold the boys, take a relaxing bath, and go over some paper work and case files. She smiled at the thought of being able to relax in a steamy bathtub, washing in a mountain of bubbles_. Awww that's gonna feel sooooo good. _

"Jim! Tim!" she shouted as she opened the door and stepped into the entrance hall. The house was divided into three corridors. To the left was the kitchen and dining room. To the right was the family area, with a lounge. A little ways from the lounge was a stairs to the basement, Jim and Tim's room. Upstairs was Kim's room and her parent's master bedroom.

No response. Maybe they were downstairs already and couldn't hear her.

Kim walked into the living room and made her way over to the stairs when something caught her eye. On the coffee table, there was a blue, polished vase...that was no longer shattered.

A vase that was destroyed this morning by the twins! She looked around the living room, which had also been wrecked by the twins hyper-induced antics this morning. An uneasy feeling crept up on her like their little Spider Bots.

_*CRASH!* *SHATTER!*_

"_Tweebs!"_

"_Morning Kim. Have you seen our Spider Bot?"_

"_Oh, I've seen it. And have YOU seen the mess it made?!"_

_The boys look around the now destroyed room. The tilted paintings, the upturned couch and the shattered vase. "Ohhhhh," they both mouthed in unison._

"_Hicka-bicka-boo?"_

_"Hoo-sha!"_

The unease finally took hold, like the cold winds blowing up from the coast, hammering the freezing water against the shorelines.

Her brothers never cleaned. They would rather retreat to their rooms, only to await their father and have them talk over their latest invention that caused the destruction of their home.

The fact that the house was clean was cause for alarm in itself, but the fact they weren't in their rooms was worse.

Kim moved at a normal pace, but then she began springing like her heartbeat. They weren't in their rooms, or the bathroom...

Or the kitchen.

Or the garage!

Or the backyard!

Now she was near freak out mode.

Kim stood in the main entryway, running her hands through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down. Breath, exhale, repeat, relax. She went through the rhythmic exercises her martial arts trainer had taught her, calming her nerves and clearing her head.

Stepping back into the living room, she was more than certain that it was morphed...maybe the whole house was. There was no way for her to break through the morph and see just what really had happened.

The very person that was responsible with the cities disappearances could have kidnapped Jim and Tim. It was a hunch, nothing more. And she prayed she was wrong.

But maybe…

Kim, getting an idea, went to the coat hanger and pulled out the brown, leathery Pulse Glove from her tan coat and snugged it on her right hand. Almost immediately, she felt focused, feeling herself more fluently than ever before. She was forever grateful that her father made this for her. It gave her an edge over the rest of the criminals, making them severally under estimate her.

The Mana coursing through her body was alive and pulsing; she could feel it coursing through her like rushing rivers.

Smooth, crystal clean.

Her fears had already been confirmed; she just had to work up the courage to accept them. But that has become much easier for her, facing uncertainty with certainty, doubt with hope, dismay with optimism.

Impossible with Possible.

Learning a few tricks from Ron, as well as some of her father's lab assistants (who happened to be Shifters as well), she came across a method that scientists used to observe the finest of details without any lab equipment.

Taking in a deep breath, Kim extended her right arm out and closed her eyes. She could feel it.

Energy, life...Mana sifting throughout the house. She felt for the Mana, envisioned it within her grasp as she slowly clenched her gloved fist in her hand. She felt the Mana in her grasp, taken in by her glove, softly pushing back and forth up and down trying to return to its "natural" flow.

Taking in another deep breath, Kim slowly brought her fist up to her forehead, feeling the Mana now pulsing through her glove, absorbed by the Mana Glyph, making her hand slightly tingle with the amount of energy coursing through her gloved fingers. Focusing on holding in the energy, Kim opened her hand and ran the fingers down her face leaving her ring and index fingers on her closed eyes.

As softly as she could, she pressed her fingers against her eyes and felt the Mana shift to them, a new channel being opened for the Mana to flow. Her eyes began to tingle but she kept her eyes closed as she moved her hand away, and brought it to her side.

The tingling lasted for only a few seconds and once she was sure it was done, she opened her eyes.

The world came in a sharper picture, more finely detailed than ever before like putting on glasses to magnify. Kim had great eyes before, but this did not even compare. The words from the magazines on the coffee table came clearly to her as if it was in front of her face, the landscape painting hanging from the wall became much clearer, more realistic and crisper.

She also noticed that everything was slightly shivering. Remaining clear, but shivering, enough to give her the notion that her house was indeed morphed. She slowly scanned the room, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

As her sharper vision scanned the living room, a dark splotch caught her eye by the window. Anticipated, Kim quickly walked over to it and discovered a footprint. Looking at it and through the window, she discovered more, leading back to the city. Wasting little time, Kim ran outside and began following the trail.

No time to wait for back up, no time to get help, or Ron. Her brothers were in trouble, and she was about to bring a world of hurt on the sorry person who took them.

She was surprised to see that the trail cut through a few back yards, which she followed, earning a few commotions from the neighbors, surprised to see a girl with a brown glove flipping and jumping over their fences.

Suddenly, the trail took a sharp turn to the right, taking her through the woods that covered most of the suburban part of Capital.

Not missing a beat, she followed, jumping and running through bushes. Eagerness gnarled at Kim, making her legs carry her faster. She wanted to secure her brothers as fast as possible, as anything could have happened to them in the time they were gone. She needed to wrap this up quickly and be home before Dad returned from work. He had already lost his wife, and he didn't need to hear other tragic news about his boys...for Kim feared he may break like the vase this morning.

Kim, keeping her eyes glued to the forest floor, nearly failed to notice the chain-link fence that separated the forest to a swift dip in the ground leading into the manufacturing and shipping district of the Capital, Tranopolis.

Wrapping her fingers around the chain link fence, Kim's enhanced eyes followed the black footprints, and sure enough, she saw the trail enter a warehouse down below. In a swift motion, Kim hauled herself up and swung herself back, using the momentum to carry herself over the chain linked fence, and gracefully slide down the sharp decline hill.

Trespassing was a serious crime in the Empire, but Kim felt and believed that in this case, the ends justified the means.

The orange, heavy rays of the setting sun created long shadows of the crates that were stacked on top of one another. Its rays of heat would have been welcoming to Kim, only in another time. She leaned against one of the crates and tilted her head around the edge, giving her a view of the warehouse. The doors leading into it were old, rusty and worn with chains wrapped around the handle with a padlock on them.

"Okay, points for hideout that screams kidnapper," she mumbled as she spotted an open basement window. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she sprinted from behind the crate over to the warehouse, its shadow cooling Kim from the scorching heat of the sun.

Sliding down the against the metal wall, Kim peered her eyes in and slightly recoiled.

The room, which appeared quite large, was dark with a single light beaming down on two white tables. Kim's mouth drew back in a horrified gasp as she slide through the window and down into the basement as she recognized the two figures laying strapped to the table.

"Jim! Tim!" she gasped as quietly as she could, for containing her relief and terror was near impossible at this stage.

They lay rigid, motionless with their eyes closed as if they were asleep safely in their beds back home. Sleeping didn't look so forced though, so tied down as though controlled by other forces, as though pushed into a comatose state...

The brown leather straps held them in place, but they did not struggle. Kim's face only twisted into a sharp tang of dismay as she saw their unmoving, pale faces. Fearing the worst, she nearly ran into the tables themselves as she cupped Jim's face in hers and shook his body, while calling out to "Jim! Jim! JIM!" over and over again.

Nothing.

What happened? Her horrified eyes darted all over them as she began to loosen the straps binding their bodies to the table. They can't be dead. They didn't look dead.

They couldn't be….

There were no signs of strangulation, beating, stabs or slashes, gunshots or anything. She stopped halfway from undoing Jim's left wrist, but quickly continued as she realized that she was dealing with a Shifter...a soon to be broken and beaten Shifter the moment she got her hands on him or her!

"Don't worry guys," she said as she gasped for breath, moving over to help her brother Tim. Gosh, her heart felt like it was going a thousand beats per minute, thundering across a racetrack. "I'll get you out of this. I'll…I'll fix this." What science couldn't fix, Mana could. No matter what, she wasn't losing her brothers.

"Kim."

Kim shot her head up to the right, where she heard her name. The sharp darkness surrounded her and her brothers, the light shielding the source of the noise from her.

"Ki….Kim." A painful murmur.

That voice, it sounded…

Familiar! Kim raised her right hand, preparing to form a Mana shield to protect herself if needed and took a few steps forward.

"Kim!" She stopped dead in her tracks as the painful and scared voice of her brother escaped the shadows.

"Jim! Tim! Don't worry!" she eagerly said with a determined huff. She began jogging over to the sound of their voice, the darkness finally starting to lift as the whimpering became clearer.

She didn't stop to think how they could be calling to her from far away when their bodies were in front of her...she just ran on pure emotion and adrenaline.

"Ge…get." Kim halted, her face shrinking into dimensions of horror, expressions that were thought unfathomable on her face.

"Out…"

"Hurry…."

Kim couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, all she could do was stare mouth agape at the sight that was supposed to be her brothers on the floor before her. It was not true! It simply couldn't be true.

This was wrong! Sick wrong!

Flat out fucking sick!

She had to get help, she couldn't handle this, but she couldn't leave them.

Not like this.

"I'm gonna get you guys out of here," she repeated, doing her best to keep her trembling and terrified voice from scaring them more as she began taking a few more steps.

Just as she took those few steps, five figures simultaneously jumped down in front of her. Recoiling sharply Kim clenched her right fist, reaching out to the Mana to form a protective barrier.

Before she could even twitch, one of the figures latched its iron grip on her right wrist tearing her leather glove off and yanking her in the air as the other figures closed in around her.

Security bots! Same looking design as the golden and tan robots that help above ground, but these guys have thicker armor and are lighter weight, plus the shorter two-hour recharge life.

Kim quickly swung her left leg back sent it flying to her attacker. As it sailed however she felt another hand latch on to it, giving it a painful squeeze that ended her attack in a painful cry.

"Kimmy-cub." Kim froze upon hearing the disappointed voice radiate from behind her.

Fighting herself every step of the way, Kim turned and looked back to the patch of light within the darkness, only to see a man in a white lab coat standing with his hands behind his back, a sad smile on his face.

James Possible.

Her father.

"Dad?" she asked with a shocked surprise. What was he doing here? Did he follow her?

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not taking his gaze off her. Kim looked back at her father and suddenly became very uncomfortable. She hated it, right there, that strange, apart feeling when she was supposed to feel openness, warmth, closeness. This was her father; she couldn't feel discomfort or fear towards him. Why should she?

Struggling against the tightening grip of the robot, Kim pleaded with her father to help her. "Jim and Tim were kidnapped! They need our help! Your help!" She shouted in dismay as another robot grabbed her right arm, locking her in a mid-air iron grip.

"Their beyond anyone's help, Kimmy-cub." Her father's words struck her at her very core. _No! That wasn't true! It couldn't be!_ Her pleading eyes tore holes through her father as he put a hand on Tim's forehead.

"It wasn't good enough, we needed more power, more energy….." he began muttering to himself quickly, almost maddeningly as though he was the only one there. Kim's ears drowned him out as she renewed her attempted struggling against the robot's firm, unyielding grip.

"Eighteen attempts, two months, and this to show for it." Kim suddenly stopped moving, her despaired eyes suddenly glazing over at what she heard her father say. Eighteen?

_Eighteen? Two months!_

It felt like someone had now just pointed a gun to her head and pulled the trigger. Her world come to a halt as the bullet slowly exited the chamber, shattering her skull, and allowing her terrified realizations to become reality before her existence shattered and sputtered into a black abyss.

A nightmare.

"Daddy?" her voice came out merely as a whimper. She fought the urge to convince her mind that it was all a lie.

It had to be.

James Possible looked up at her, a sad, yet twisted smile forming across his face.

"You're a smart girl, Kimmy!" he exclaimed softly as he rested a hand on Jim's forehead. Kim refused to answer, too stunned (or sickened) to even speak.

James, taking his daughter's silence into consideration, cupped his hands behind his back and smiled, waiting for her response. The silence was more than Kim could bare, for the only sound was her quickened breathing, the pounding in her ears, and the moans of Jim and Tim coming from the shadows.

"You…" she gulped, trying to keep the bile down in her throat as she spoke, "you've been taking people from the streets, haven't you? And," she gulped, "you've attempted to Soul Shift them!?" Kim outburst with more anger and emotion than she had expected. "Innocent people! Your own boys! Your own family. What happened to you!" she screamed, a single tear running down her face.

James chuckled, making Kim's eyes flash in horror, begging herself to wake up from this nightmare. Yes, that was what this was, just a really messed up nightmare. _Pinch yourself and wake up now, _she prayed.

"Nothing's happened," he simply stated, his smile widening as he looked over his children on the tables. "This is science in action Kimmy! You should know that science involves risks...and sacrifices." Kim fought back another loose tear as she raised her head to look at her father.

She saw his face, contorted, wrinkled, darker than she remembered...and Kim only felt the heavy impact on the back of her head for an instant and quickly feel into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the large plaza in the Heart of Laridea, home to the Emperor of Laridea, an army of his finest were preparing for their tour of duty up north. A tour, noted by the Emperor in his farewell speech, that will surely be the last this country will have to instigate.

The plaza was white, red, grey and gold streamers decorticated the outlining of the balcony which the Emperor stood. Below him in orderly rows where his soldiers, stretching across the white stone road that lead up to the keep. Behind them sat a large fountain and the massive brown gate that lead to the plaza. Set up in rows to the left and right, where thousands of citizens. Sitting in chairs, or standing around the fountain and beyond, all listening to their beloved Emperor and watching their loved ones one last time.

"We have the enemy on the run! Their cities have fallen! Their towns deserted! Their army in shambles!" He was met with a roar of applause, as both military and citizens of the Empire flocked to the center of Tranopolis to hear their beloved Emperor.

He stood on the balcony that overlooked the whole Plaza. Flanked to his left and right were his highest ranking Generals all clad in their formal military wears, their hands clapping in league with the rest of the people.

Clad in white dress shirt and pants with golden buttons, red epaulets on both shoulders with a grey braids hanging around their right shoulders. Medals of all sorts were pinned to their chests and their white caps shown in the light, the symbol of Laridea engraved on it; an olive branch crossed over with a sword. Underneath the two symbols was a crown, symbolizing the Emperor and Empire.

"For four years we have been plagued by war, and I pray the day we see the end to it. But rest assured, I will not rest until the enemy has answered and paid for their crimes against the people!" Another round of applause.

The Emperor, clad in his most formal of wears, wore a white uniform dawning medals of every kind and stylish white pants with a golden belt. Attached to his right hip was a saber, enchanted with Mana. His Mana. He was not wearing a crown for this ceremony, showing the people that he was one with them. The crown was more of a formal wear.

He looked down upon his soldiers, his brave sons and daughters. Their uniforms were standard combat uniforms; red tops with grey pants. Their caps were white, same as the generals who flanked the Emperor. Their weapons were slugged over their shoulders, their backpacks were also worn on their back, for right after this they were heading off to war.

"Now, as we bid our sons and daughters farewell, let us remember why we fight! Why our loved ones answer the call to arms. Why our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews take up the uniform," he waved his arms out, proclaiming them over the crowd of hundreds of thousands of people. "It is for you. You fight not for me, but for each other. Those who stand next to you, and those you leave behind. It is your blood, your scarifies that keep the people of Laridea safe!" he proclaimed as he raised his right fist into the air sharply.

"Remind the enemy why we fight! Remind the enemy why we shall not relent until this war, is over!" His voice boomed and echoed throughout the plaza, followed quickly by the screams, claps and cheers of the crowd. His generals to his left and right all turned and clapped for the Emperor, who stood proudly as he watched the army of soldiers remove their caps and began waving them in the air, chanting:

"Long live Emperor Darkken! Long live Emperor Drakken!"

Drakken nodded his blue head and clapped as well for their support. This only encouraged the crowd, who have all but stood up and have begun praising the emperor.

Their beloved Emperor.

Drakken stood tall and ridged as he waved the soldiers away, giving their officers the cue to order them into formation and prepare them to march across the city onto the trains.

The crowd, still clapping, somehow managed to cheer and clap harder as Drakken turned and walked back into his keep, a devilish smile slowly forming across his face.

Following him in on his right was his personal advisor and military consultant, General Senior.

The old general walked with a cane but remained tall and proud in his uniform, his metals clanking together with each stride.

"Beautiful speech my lord. It was exquisite," General Senior praised Drakken as they walked through the open door leading to a hallway. The hallway was paved with shinning marble floor and overlooked the western portion of the Capital city. Along the other side of the hallway, suits of armor lined the walls, decorated in golden breastplates and helms.

Drakken glanced back at his long time aid and friend, a sly smile forming across his face. "Thank you! I was going for the inspirational side this time," he proudly stated as they walked through another doorway leading to another hallway, with more doors lined up on the right and left side.

"Yes yes. It was very inspirational. And very moving." Senior paused as he walked up next to Drakken. They stopped in front of a smaller, wooden door. "Your soldiers will gladly fight and die for you."

Drakken chuckled as he opened the door, revealing a small study with shelves covered in books lining the wall. Five comfy leathery thrones sat around a fire at the northern side of the room. In between it were two windows overlooking the entrance to the palace.

"I know." His sinister words filled the room as they entered, joining the other two occupants who respectfully bowed before their Emperor. One of them, clad in a dark black uniform, with golden streams and shoulders and black matching pants, bowed a little lower than the other, his face firm yet apologetic.

"My apologizes Drakken for not attending the ceremony." He pulled out a slip of paper, the seal of the Laridean Special Operations Task Force engraved on the top right corner. A ghostly white skull, and underneath it bolded in black was S.O.T.F, the symbol for the Empero's secret police, and his most elite group of spy's. "I was preoccupied with matters that may interest you," he chortled, his dark blue eyes shining in the light as Drakken took the slip of paper with glee in his eyes.

"I'm sure I can find an excuse to forgive you, Lord Monty Fiske," Drakken replied in a good-hearted manner as Monty Fiske, Commissioner of the Laridean Special Operations Task Force smiled, bowing his head while cupping his hands behind his back.

General Senior had walked past the three gentlemen and walked over to a wine cellar in the back left corner and was proceeding to pore some fresh wine, its red liquid aged to perfection.

"He'd better. You're essential to our military success." Senior chuckled as he unscrewed the bottle cap.

"I can't take all the credit," Monty retorted with a smile as Drakken read the contents in Monty's report.

It involved news on their western and less than friendly country of Brilaha, (Br-il-a-ha) the desert folk who also had their backs to the sea, the very capital on the coast to the vast ocean. He narrowed his eyes as he read, discovering that three tank battalions with two infantry insupport had moved to its border with the Confederation of Cleema, one of the last areas besides the capital that were still in Confederation hands. A move that was expected of course, but still disappointing all the same. It could have been worse; the infantry could contain Shifters. However, the Brilaha had forbide the use of Shifting in the military, as it went against their religous belifes. Fools.

Taking a sip of wine, Monty Fiske walked up to Drakken as he continued to read, his face remaining even, cool.

"The Brilaha parliament has been in emergency session for four days now." Drakken raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing as he took the wine glass from Senior's hand and took a sip of it. "They are debating what to do with the growing _threat _on their borders." Monty sneered.

"I've taken the liberty to move our Artillery and a battalion with Shifter support a few kilometers to the west of the border. Just in case they try anything," Senior darkly stated as he walked back to the desk and poured a third cup of wine.

"Nghh, I figured they'd start getting concerned once their borders became the war zone," Drakken merely replied with a shrug. He took a sip of wine, 'hmming' as the sweet, honey-flavored grape refreshed his mouth. Senior turned to face him as he set the wine bottle down.

"Yes, but I can't guarantee our lines would be able to hold if they intervened."

"Which they more than likely will," Monty added grimly. Drakken sighed, slightly annoyed as he set the paper down on a small stand next to one of the chairs.

"Playing the diplomacy card is never fun. But," he trailed off as he took another sip of his wine, "it may be our best bet."

"I agree," Senior stated.

"Aye, bout dat," Senior turned to his left as the second wine glass in his hand suddenly jerked from his grip, floating over to a large outstretched hand that pulled it over to him near the fire.

Taking a sip, the short but large figure walked out, wearing a green and dark blue robe with a black tunic underneath. A large golden boar was stitched onto the back of the robe, the sign of the Emperor's right hand. His own personal bodyguards.

"Lord Killigan." General Senior acknowledged the presences of Drakken's bodyguard and the country's most powerful Shifter, besides the Emperor himself of course.

"Senior," he replied, then turned to face Drakken. "Like Fiske said, they'll strike yee forces eventually. Why not uses ye new weapon on them?" Drakken raised an eyebrow, the thought amusing him to the fullest. Senior however, frowned at this idea as he stepped forward.

"No! The M-bomb is still experimental!"

"Are ya daff man! We've had two successful tests. Two!" Duff Killigan stated, sticking two pudgy fingers in the air while turning to face the old General.

"Even if it weren't, the radiation and crystal shard contamination will render the city, practically the whole country, a barren waste land."

"Da country IS a waste land! There's nothin but SAND there!"

Senior folded his arms over his chest as he glared into Duff's bearded face. "I will not authorize the use of a weapon that will kill my own soldiers!"

"SHUUUSSH!" Drakken hissed loudly as he stuck his hand in their direction, the other pinching the bridge of his noise. The two men turned and faced Drakken as he opened his eyes and faced the men.

"While you have a valid point Killigan, I personally feel that diplomacy is the best bet."

"YOUR diplomacy?" Monty sinisterly chuckled as he took a sip of wine, getting a kick out of Drakken's sense of diplomacy which could be described best as the playground bully.

Drakken drew his teeth back in a smile as he set his wine glass down and proceeded to a large globe that stood a few feet away from the chairs and fire. In the center and southern part of the continent was his domain, the symbol and hammer of his power.

The Empire of Laridea. It's size took up about a third of the continent. To the north of the globe sat his enemy, or what was left of him. The Confederation of Cleema held onto the frozen wastelands of the north. A portion of their territory was temporal forest, but once they cross over (and through) the Glacier mountains, they reached the treacherous icy wastes.

To the West, sat the desert country of Brilaha, and probably his newest enemy within the following months.

To the East of Laridea was a country that had been a thorn in his side as long as he could remember, though never directly hindering him.

"Monty, any word from our friends in Yamanouchi?" he asked, eyeing the jungle covered country. It was country that had not reacted to anything the world had to offer it. A country that largely remained a mystery.

"Yes," Monty paused as he set his glass down and strode up to Drakken, followed by Senior and Duff. "Our diplomats have met with theirs," Drakken's smile grew. "On the border." Drakken's smile instantly flew into a frown.

A few miles from the border separating their countries, Yamanouchi had its own natural border. A large mountain range sparling across their country, and even into the ocean, preventing any ships from traveling across the world. The mountain was much bigger and dangerous than Glacier Mountains. He had lost numerous exhibitions into the mountains in hopes of discovering the countries capitals, or any major cities.

"Gahhh! Those conniving little…" Drakken paused, refraining from uttering words that would be unfitting for any man in his position. "Is slip-shot what it is?!" he yelled into the globe as if it could answer him. Duff and Monty glanced at one another as Senior softly chuckled. Drakken quickly took in a sharp breath and ran his hand through his hair.

"No matter, no matter," he uttered as he turned to face the other three men, waiting to hear the rest of what Monty had to say.

"I'll cut to the point. Yamanouchi's trade embargo still stands for both us, and the Confederation. They will remain neutral still." Drakken did not like to hear this, but once again, expected it. Yamanouchi made it very clear that they would have no part in the war and as a promise to this, they halted all trade with the two countries.

Drakken nodded his head in understanding. "Just as I predicted. Even with the Confederation's destruction at hand, they will still do nothing."

"So shall we do nothing as well? I don't like leaving our borders unprotected." Drakken turned to face Senior who walked up to the globe and pointed his cane at the border between their two countries. "This area is one of the most lightly guarded areas in the country. Even worse, we have no idea of their military capabilities."

"As you've told me before, our numbers aren't enough to open a second, or third front," Drakken said to Senior, who slowly nodded his head in response. "Yet," he added with a sinister smile then he turned to look back at Monty and Duff. "For now we will play it safe and toy with Brilaha."

"But we've tried toying with them before and look where it's gotten us," Duff said as he rose his hands in the air suggestively. "Can't we merely skip to the crushing part?"

"No disrespect Drakken, but I'm with the mad Shifter here on this one," Monty added as he gestured to Duff with his thumb, who gave him a sour look.

"Oh trust me when I say we will crush them, and Yamanouchi in due time. Once our project is completed,"

"Any head way on my newest soldiers?" Senior asked with glee in his aged eyes. Drakken chuckled as he skipped his feet in the air slightly, barely able to contain his excitement.

"I have Laridea's finest working on it as we speak. Soon, I'll have an army that can-"

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Drakken grumbled at the loud knocking that interrupted a speech that really had him going. Duff walked up to the door and opened it slightly, and let out a groan as First Lieutenant Junior strutted through the door with a stride that even made Drakken cringe.

"Oh great. The buffoon." Monty muttered in disgust as Junior walked his walk as if he were a model. His red and grey uniform was unusually snugged in, showing off his ripped body. His cap remained on too which annoyed everyone in the room. All expect his father, Senior, who had a proud smile on his face.

"Aww my son!" Senior stated with affection as he approached his son. Junior rolled his eyes as he embraced his father as quickly as he could. "The troops have been sent off? Yes?"

"Yes," Junior sighed as he removed his cape. "Father, I don't understand how a man can be expected to fight a battle when he is not good looking, or good at marching." Monty rolled his eyes as Duff slapped a hand over his face, muttering some course words. Drakken would have vocally showed his annoyance, if not for Junior quickly extending out a rolled up piece of parchment in his hand.

"A message from the Technological Advancement Center." Drakken gleefully took the message from Junior's hand and ripped it open. "A thank you would be nice. I'm not some messenger boy," Junior whined as he crossed his arms.

Drakken ignored him, for his eyes grew wider as well as his smile as the context of the message became clear.

"Ohhhhhhhhh!" Drakken hissed in delight as he finished the letter, reading the signature.

"James Possible." He turned to face the individuals in the room, who all had excited expressions on their. "Senior, we may be able to us that bomb very soon. Without the consequences that plague you," Drakken said to the general, who let out a gasp of surprise.

"You mean, they finally—"

"Yes!" Drakken declared. "After ten years of research, they've finally achieved the impossible!" All the men gasped, their faces radiating with excitement.

All except for Junior that is, who looked around at them with confusion. "Am I missing the excitement here?" he asked. Drakken walked up to the fire and tossed the note in it and turned to face Junior.

"Ready our rides. We are going on a little field trip."

"Oh, so I'm your driver boy now! What has become of all this?!" Junior exclaimed as he walked out of the room, rambling off how he deserved better than this. Drakken watched him go, and then turned to Monty.

"Monty. It is time we begin our next phase. Go to Blackwater," he said as he took a full gulp of his wine, finishing it with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, and what is it that I'm looking for there?"

Drakken smiled sinisterly as he began to follow Duff and Senior out of the room.

"I believe it is time that we meet this... NecroDancer."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Kim."

The pain. The throbbing pain in her head was the first thing Kim felt. Letting out a small groan, she moved her hand, only finding that it wasn't moving.

"Kim!" A soft voice beckoned from above her. Kim opened her eyes and was immediately met with a blinding white light. She felt like she was floating on thin air, drifting through nothingness, flirting with the light and the dark as her vision struggled to return to normal.

"Kimmy." The voice rang out in an eerie echo, making Kim gasp as her mind snapped back to what happened minutes... or hours ago. She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't move a square inch of her body. Not even her head.

She couldn't feel what was on her head, but she knew something was holding her head in place, looking up at the blinding light that shattered the stagnant darkness. Before her mind could tell her anything else, the white lab coat figure known as her father came over her head.

"Are you all right? Say something Kimmy." His voice sounded so caring, so worried. But it wasn't the same. Instead of talking to a human, her daughter, it sounded more like he was talking to an animal, a pet dog so to speak.

"Ughhh, Dad?" she groaned, the light refusing to relent its bright onslaught.

"I'm here Kim." He looked back and…

Did he have an excited smile on his face?

"Jim? T-Tim?" She gulped, trying to remove the dryness that was in her mouth. "Give it t-to me str-straight."

He shook his head, making Kim's heart burst.

"I'm sorry Kimmy-cub. They're gone." Kim let out a shuttered breath, as emotion trembled out of her lips. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. She really couldn't. The tears weren't falling. Too real of a sitch.

"But you're here, alive and well," he said, his voice morphing into one of wonder and excitement. He reached over by her head and began fiddling with something, which was probably the strapping binding that held her head to the table.

"Now, I need you to follow this pen. Please dear," said as he held up a pen. Kim watched the pen, not sure why, but she did. Part of her wanted to, no believed that, what had happened was a nightmare, and she would wake up any moment.

"Dad…. What's going on?" she asked, doing her best to keep her voice even. Her father, the man before her, ignored her as his face grew into excitement as he watched Kim turn her head slightly to the left and right.

"Doctor!" He turned back with an excited voice. "Mortar functions seem to be working just fine. Life signs appear normal." His voice trembled with excitement. Kim wasn't sure what to make of this. It sounded good, but there was an eerie edge to the words.

"I'll send the letter right away," came a voice from the distance, but Kim did not notice. She was trying to figure out where she was. She looked to the left and felt the sound of screws, press, machinery ringing in her ears. Lab equipment was outlined in the darkness, as well as figures walking around...congratulating one another.

Kim slowly turned her head to the right, and gasped in pure, dark horror.

Laying on the table next to her, was her!

The hair, the clothes, the face...it was all her! Though, it wasn't looking back at her. The Kim she saw was laying on a table, her body strapped in, similar to how Jim and Tim were, eyes closed as if asleep, staring into the ceiling.

Kim began to tremble, though her body remained still. She suddenly felt cold, as if her world just froze over.

Instinctively she raised her head to look over her body.

A light tan, flat metal chest was revealed to her. Thick metal.

Breathing starting to get sharper, Kim snapped her eyes to her left hand.

Tan metal, with wire sticking exposed under her fingers, a screw rotating with a chain on her wrist as she moved her fingers back and forth.

Kim's terrified scream echoed around the room and through her body, drawing out the cranking and clanking of the screws, chains, and wires that all screamed to life as her body began struggling for freedom from this nightmarish, mechanical hell.

**To be continued…**


End file.
